Just What I Need
by Ceestar
Summary: Tron receives a lead suggesting Tesler is producing a weapon to eliminate the Renegade once and for all, but when he and Beck go to investigate, a mysterious program appears; a program Tron thought had derezzed cycles ago. [Uprising-verse]
1. Reunion

Beck was silently glad that his mentor had accompanied him on this particular mission. Every time Tron trusted the young mechanic with an important task, he felt a sense of pride well up in his chest- but never the less, he was only one program, he was a mechanic trying to change the fate of an entire system.

Rumours of a new weapon being developed by Clu had reached Argon. If they were to believed, Tesler would without a doubt be in charge of the project. Tron's sources had lead them to a small factory just outside of Argon, a short light cycle ride from the main city. Without knowing the details of the weapon or the amount of security Beck might face, Tron had chosen to accompany him in their mission to infiltrate the factory and gather information on the weapon- and if need be; to destroy it.

Sneaking in had hardly been a problem, something Tron found worrying but Beck deduced to be Tesler's false sense of safety in an area so far from the city. Utilising backdoors and quiet hallways, Tron lead them through to the heart of the factory where he suspected the weapon to be.

"_What _is all that?" Beck whispered in awe as they peered through a glowing window.

Through the window was what appeared to be a large, circular room. From their view point, Beck would see a rail spreading across the circumference of the room, making this door the opening to a balcony of some sort. Tron turned to the control pad next to door and attached a small device to it, punching in a quick code and stepping back as the door clicked and slid aside.

The two of them stepped onto the balcony and peered down. They were on a high floor, over the rail they realized this circular room reached all the way to the bottom of the building, meaning it was a single room at the core of the entire factory. Along the circular wall, Beck saw countless black objects, small and round, attached to every inch of the wall. He turned around to see Tron inspecting one on the wall behind them, an uncertain growl resonated from the black helmet.

"Grenades," Tron said.

Beck quickly stepped back against the rail, keeping his distance from the wall. "He could blow up all of Argon with this many bombs!"

Tron made a sound of agreement and peered over the edge of the rail, looking down to the white floor an immeasurable distance from them. The room felt strangely familiar, it felt like the old I/O towers of the ENCOM system; trust Clu to turn what use to be a symbol of the Users into something that could end everything for thousands of programs. There were no other programs in the room but Tron could see lines of control panels down on the bottom floor, a white platform sitting the middle- probably a lift, he concluded.

"These weapons have to go," Tron said, turning away from the rail and looking back at the bombs attached to the wall.

"How? We can't exactly pick them off the walls one by one," Beck stated.

"No, touching even one of them could set them all off with us inside," Tron responded quickly. "This entire facility has to go, but with so many explosives inside…"

"The explosion could reach the city," Beck finished as horror struck through him.

"Maybe, maybe not," Tron said. "It'd be impossible to calculate the exact mass of the explosion without proper testing."

Beck opened his mouth to ask exactly what they should do when the sound of the door opening caught his attention. Turning around and rezzing a black helmet around his head in one fluid motion, he was faced with two of Tesler's guards.

"Identify, Program!" One of the guards shouted, brandishing an electric staff.

"Careful, you'll hit the weapons!" The other grabbed his companion's shoulder and pulled him back.

The four programs faced each other in silence, surveying each other's movements and daring the other side to make the first strike.

Without warning, Tron had turned around and bolted in the opposite direction, Beck followed without question.

"Halt!" The guards called, chasing them.

"We can't just run around in circles!" Beck called.

"We're not," Tron replied, pointing ahead.

Beck looked up to see a ladder leading up to a glass ceiling he hadn't noticed before. When they reached it, Tron whipped around and pushed Beck roughly into the ladder.

"Go!" He ordered, pulling his disc into a defensive position.

"What? I'm not—"

"I said, _go_!" Tron interrupted Beck's protest, elbowing him in the back until he began climbing the ladder.

The two perusing guards stopped and growled at their opponent.

"Don't let him get away!" One called but his voice turned into a cry as Tron's disc tore through his chest, spilling red and black voxels all over the floor.

"You have someone else to worry about," Tron growled.

The remaining guard gave a cry and charged at Tron head on. The area was tight and Tron's movements were restricted even more so by the lines of grenades along the wall. He moved swiftly, climbing up the ladder and swinging his disc to meet the light staff that came at him. With a strong kick, Tron sent his opponent into the side rail and quickly launched his disc, derezzing him.

Catching his disc on the return, Tron quickly docked it and began climbing after Beck who had just about reached the ceiling. A loud bang echoed throughout the chamber as Beck slammed his arm into the small, round hatch at the top of the ladder.

"It's not budging!" He called over his shoulder.

Beck held tightly onto the ladder with one hand and reached for his disc with the other. He pulled his arm back and swung forward to strike when the hatch suddenly threw open. A masked program peered through and started back at the sight of Beck's disc.

"Woah, hold it stranger, I'm friendly!" The unknown program said. "Come on, I'll give you a hand!"

Beck hesitated for a moment but the sound of more guards was growing louder. He kept his disc in his hand as he climbed through the hatch, taking the other program's hand to climb out.

"Er, thanks," Beck said as he helped pull Tron up.

The mysterious program seemed to be surveying Tron as the monitor stood up and brought himself to full height, towering over him. Before he could ask any questions though, a door burst behind them.

A wave of guards came flooding out of a stairwell door, spilling onto the roof on which Tron and others were now standing. All three programs took offensive positions, discs bursting into life in their hands. Behind them, more guards dropped out of the sky, falling out of a couple of light choppers.

_Surrounded,_ Tron thought grimly, counting the number of guards and disliking their odds of survival more and more by the nano-cycle. He shot a glance at the masked, third member of their crew and frowned, unable to determine his objectives.

"Get them!" One guard shouted as the others roared in agreement, all converging into the middle of the roof.

Beck's disc flew first, bouncing off the ground, being smacked up a light staff and redirected straight into the leg of another guard. Tron threw his disc and scattered the oncoming wave of attackers when he felt something hit him gently in the back. He turned his head in surprise to see the still masked, shorter program standing behind him.

"Together," he said in a suddenly familiar voice.

Without thinking, Tron gripped his returned disc and threw it again, moving in completely synchronization with the other program. Tron felt the other program's back against his as he tossed his disc again. When he turned, the other turned with him and together they protected each other's blind spots, withering down the enemy numbers to nothing.

Beck, who had taken shelter behind a large barrel when voxels began raining everywhere, stepped forward towards the middle of the roof where the two programs stood. He let out a small sound of awe as his tiptoed around the red voxels littering the floor. Tron and his strange partner stood panting, still standing back to back as the stranger docked his disc. As Beck stepped forward, Tron flipped around brought his disc up to the stranger's throat, outer edge blaring a bright, dangerous white.

"Who are you?" He snarled.

The stranger had taken a step back and thrown his arms up defensively, shaking his head.

"Woah, okay, just a nano!" The stranger spat out quickly as Beck ran up to the duo.

"He saved us," Beck said quietly, stepping up to Tron.

Tron ignored him. This program, this masked fighter appeared out of nowhere and read Tron's movements like they were his own. The security codes in him blared warning signals; unknown program, dangerous, threat, eliminate.

Something felt familiar though; the way they moved together, his body shape, his voice, his very tone felt impossibly familiar.

"Answer me!" Tron growled, thrusting his disc up to the other's throat again.

"Tron, calm down!" The stranger suddenly pleaded. "It's me."

Both Tron and Beck looked at the other program, their alarm that this program knew Tron's identity was hidden behind their helmets. The other's helmet derezzed, soft, brown curls bouncing into place and a pair of bright olive eyes looked up with a small smile.

The program didn't look familiar, Beck was sure he had never seen him before but he turned to Tron and realized it was definitely someone the older monitor knew. Tron didn't move, the whirring of his disc showed he was still gripping the weapon very tightly, but he wasn't moving at all. In a moment of panic, Beck wondered if Tron had actually glitched and frozen. He opened his mouth to speak but it only fell open in surprise as Tron's helmet derezzed, revealing the stunned expression on his face.

"Greetings, Program," the smaller program said in a soft voice, grinning as his eyes and circuits lit up brightly.

Tron's eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open.

"Ram?"


	2. Function

"_I'm only a mechanic, how can I free an entire system?" Beck mumbled into his folded arms that were resting on top of the table. He sighed heavily, feeling the weight of his actions sit on his shoulders._

_Tron sighed and docked his disc, removing himself from his work of restoring his still deteriorating code. _

"_Beck, we've been over this," Tron said, slightly exasperated. "No program has been written to free the system of Clu's rule and unless you know a User that plans on writing one soon; I suggest you swallow your self pity and carry on fighting."_

_Tron's voice echoed around the large room and Beck stared almost angrily at his mentor as the words slowly sank in. He buried his face deeper into his arms._

"_I know you think that sounds encouraging, but you have thousands of programs looking up to you and believing in you. I have half of Argon wanting me derezzed."_

_Tron groaned and ran a hand through his hair, he had been a little quick with his words; Beck was still young. He walked over to the window that looked out into the outlands, the glowing city of Argon off on the horizon. He hesitated for a moment._

"_And do you think I made it here alone?" Tron said. _

_Beck raised his head slightly, confusion crossing his face. Tron's back was to him, his expression impossible to read through the blurry window reflection. There was a long moment's silence before Tron took a breath and continued._

"_There was a program, I met him long before the days of the Grid, long before Flynn even discovered our world. He was brave, compassionate and a true friend. He was also an amazing fighter. He was already a veteran of the Games by the time of my capture. Most programs didn't survive more than two or three microcyles in the Games and I calculated that this program was no different. But every time he left his cell, every time I predicted to have seen the last of him; he came back."_

_Beck straightened up in his seat, Tron had captured his full attention with this story of the old system. _

"_I looked up to him. Despite everything, despite how bleak our futures looked, he never gave up his belief in the Users. His spirit and determination drove me and it drives me still," Tron turned and looked Beck directly in the eye. "And do you know what his function was?"_

_Beck shook his head ever so slightly._

"_He was an actuarial program," Tron said, his voice catching ever so slightly. "He was programmed to crunch numbers Beck, yet he survived over 200 microcycles against the MCP. He was on that Game Grid longer than I was. He is who I look up to and who I deem a true hero."_

_The information slowly processed through Beck's head, he sorted it with data he had received from the public archives long before he adopted the identity of the program standing in front of him. Beck wondered why he had never heard of this program before though, why a third warrior aside from Tron and Kevin Flynn was never mentioned in the tales of the MCP's defeat. _

"_So, what happened to him?"_

"_He was killed during our escape, his light cycle was hit by a tank and I never saw him again," Tron grimaced, turning away again. "The point is, Beck, he fought for a better system until the end; no matter what his functions told him." _

_Beck made a mental note to dig deeper into the archives the next time he had the chance, maybe he Zed and Mara could make a trip into Tron City when this was all over, when the system was free again._

_A new fire lit in Beck's eyes; this was the future he was fighting for; a future where he and his friends could live in peace; a future where Tron's heroic friend could be recognized and remembered. _

"_What was his name?" _

"Ram?"

Tron gapped, lowering his disc as the life drained out of it. Ram visibly relaxed, exhaling dramatically and dropped his arms to his sides.

"It's good to see you too, Tron," Ram said in a soft voice. "How long has it been? A thousand cycles? Two?"

"You derezzed," Tron said in a shaking voice as he gripped his disc tightly again. "Flynn told me, the MCP's goons got you, you derezzed in the old system!"

Tron's disc remained at his side but it hissed dangerously in the program's hand. His frame shook slightly, battling opposing directives to attack and to stand down.

Beck had never seen Tron lose his composure before, not like this. His voice rose in volume and pitch, the security monitor actually sounded lost. In front of him, the program named Ram looked at Tron with large, sad eyes.

"I'm not saying none of that happened, and look, I want to tell you everything right now but," Ram looked up; in the distance, a small army of light choppers could be seen headed towards them. "Those demons are going to come down on us if we don't get out of here _now_."

Tron growled at the familiar words, the security in him screamed for answers from the creature in front of him pretending to be a dead program. None of this was computing and his processor was working double time in order to try and come up with a reasonable explanation as to how _RAM _was standing in front of him.

But there was no denying that Tesler was sending more soldiers in their direction and this was their only oppourtunity to get out of here with all their pixels in place. He quickly rezzed his helmet back on and grabbed a baton attached to his side.

"With me," Tron said, roughly tugging Ram's arm and striding towards the edge of the building.

Ram followed without protest, rezzing his helmet as Beck followed suit, pulling his own baton from his side.

Tron glanced back at Ram for a moment, pulling him up to the edge and jumping. As Tron expected, Ram was right behind him, following his movements exactly so that when Tron split his baton, the light jet rezzed around the two programs perfectly, settling them into the rather tight space. To his left, Tron saw Beck's jet appear and they took off.

Tron maneuvered them through heavy enemy fire, pulling off near impossible stunts Ram knew only the real Tron could accomplish. Ram didn't say a word, merely watched the security monitor, his helmet hiding all signs of expression until they reached Tron's hideout. They landed in an empty hanger, large enough to park a small army of tanks and light cycles. The two jets derezzed, Ram and Beck pulled their helmets back as they landed but Tron's remained as he watched Ram walk off, admiring the room. Beck glanced awkwardly between the other two; Ram peered around, examining the hanger and Tron finally derezzed his helmet. Before Beck could ask anything, the monitor stormed across the room and slammed a hand on the wall where Ram was inspecting a rack of batons, causing the latter to jump.

"Right, we're alone, now talk," Tron growled.

"I was rewritten," Ram blurted out quickly. "I think, well, I think my User rewrote me and uploaded me into this new system. It took a while though, I mean my codes were a little out of date."

The attempt at an icebreaker didn't amuse Tron and Ram swallowed before continuing.

"I entered this system with all my old directives, the ones from before the MCP. Obviously I couldn't work on cases from over a thousand cycles ago and I didn't receive any new directives so… I went exploring. Once I found the city, I started asking around, pinging random programs for information on what happened to the old system… and then…"

Ram's face suddenly fell, he ducked his head and his voice turned into a whisper.

"I found out about Flynn, how he built this new system. I found about Clu and what he did… and what he had supposedly done to you, Tron."

Ram glanced up, meeting Tron's eyes and the security monitor stiffened.

"I was in shock, I thought I would just crash permanently and derezz again… then I heard something; small but viral messages in quieter parts of the city; Tron Lives. It took me another few cycles to trace the information back to Argon, took me even longer to get here, but I managed. Long story short, I went looking for trouble in hopes of finding you and… I did."

The hanger fell silent and Ram watched Tron with anticipation. Tron's mind whirred as he tried to process the information. Warnings were flaring up inside him, the story had holes, but Ram was obviously providing them with a compressed version to save time. More warnings popped up at the sheer image of Ram standing before him; impossible, program derezzed, would not function in this system, outsider, possible threat.

Ram shuffled uncomfortably under Tron's gaze. He could see Tron processing the information, scanning it for holes and trying to determine whether or not Ram was a threat to the system. A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips; Tron had always been the best security program Ram had ever met.

"Tron," Ram whispered hesitantly. "It's me. I know you know that. If there is anything I ever believed in more than the Users, it was you."

Ram reached out and rested a hand on Tron's arm. Every function in the security monitor froze as memory files burst open and filled every particle of his system. The first time Tron met Ram, the conversations they had throughout their imprisonment and that horrible moment when Tron found Flynn alone on the Solar Sailor.

"_My name's Ram. I caught some of your work on those guards- it was impressive, I've never seen a program wield his disc like that before; and I've been stuck in here for over 100 microcycles now!"_

"_Tron, was it? Well, it's nice to meet you… under the circumstances."_

"_Do you really think the Users are still out there?"_

"_Hey Tron, new guy was asking about you. There's something different about him."_

_Flynn's smile disappeared and his eyes saddened, "He didn't make it."_

"Ram…" Tron croaked.

Ram smiled a crooked smile, his hand tightening around Tron's arm. Tron studied the program before him and all the warnings began to disappear. Nothing else mattered, nothing else was relevant because this was Ram. This was the program that never stopped fighting, this was the program who's belief in the Users was so strong he went from actuary to gladiator in a nano, this was the program Tron thought he lost, the program he called friend.

Tron's face broke into a smile, the first smile Beck had ever seen on his mentor's face. He laughed and threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around Ram's smaller form. Ram felt Tron shaking against him and he awkwardly pat his friend on the back, chuckling.

"I missed you too," Ram laughed. "Now fill me in on this rebellion thing I've been hearing so much about, will you?"

Tron stood back but kept his hands on his friend's shoulders, still grinning from ear to ear. He took a deep breath, nodding and turning to face Beck who looked like he had been trying to shuffle out of the room.

"That would be Beck's story," Tron said, gesturing at the younger program.

"Er, not entirely, I mean, I'm just an ordinary program…"

"And I'm an actuary back from the pits of deresolution," Ram said as he walked over to Beck, offering a hand. "I don't think anything you say could surprise me."

Beck nodded awkwardly and took Ram's hand, shaking it before glancing at Tron. Beck wasn't usually shy around new programs but he felt he had just witnessed an overdue reunion between two programs he didn't really know and that there had to be somewhere else he could be right now.

"Well… I want to stop Clu," Beck said, his confidence returning as he spoke. "And Tron saved the system once, I thought he might be able to do it again."

"Beck takes on my name and fights," Tron said, walking up to the two. "And I gather intel and support him from the shadows. We believe that restoring hope to programs all over the Grid will fuel their courage to revolt against Clu's rule."

"_Users_," Ram whispered as he glanced between the two. "So the message you're sending around the Grid, 'Tron Lives'…"

"So long as programs believe there's a fighting chance; they'll fight! They just need some hope for the future!"

Beck glanced at Tron and Tron nodded in agreement; both remembered that this began with Beck's admiration towards Tron and they had already come such a long way.

"I want in!" Ram exclaimed. "Sign me up, Tron!"

Tron broke out into a grin again and clapped a hand on the actuary's shoulder.

"Good to have you back, Ram."


	3. Sharing

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone for their kind comments and follows. I was very excited about fleshing this idea out and there's still 2 chapters and an epilogue to go, so I hope people are still enjoying it. I had a bit of trouble finishing this chapter, I hope everyone enjoys it!

**XXX**

The change in Tron's behaviour showed within a microcycle of Ram's arrival. The actuary seemed to be an endless source of energy, which in turn fueled Tron, who was working at the rate of a much younger program. Beck concluded to himself that this was the Tron that saved the Grid from the MCP, this was the Tron before Clu.

It took some time for Beck to shake the feeling that he was being replaced, but he soon grew to appreciate Ram's assistance. With someone else to work with Tron, Beck was able to spend more time at the garage with Zed, Mara and Able. He found himself more relaxed and he worked with a clearer mind. He checked in with Tron and Ram at the end of every cycle, but news on Tesler's weapon had gone cold and without a solid lead, there was nowhere for Beck to go.

"That facility was most likely cleared just after our escape," Tron mulled out loud. "I've heard rumours of programs going missing in quiet districts of the Grid but Beck's already investigated that and it doesn't look like anything but programs avoiding curfew. There hasn't been anything suggesting occupation activity so either they've learned how to hide themselves very well, or they're planning something bigger."

"I vote the latter!" Ram chirped.

"Either way, I don't like it," Beck added with a hand on his chin. "Those bombs were ready to go, they could have taken out half the city by now- but instead they haven't so much as shown their faces? That's not like Tesler."

"It could be that they know we've picked up another ally," Tron said, looking over at Ram who was sat on the stairs behind him. "And they are trying to formulate a plan."

"They probably saw what you guys did to their guards on the roof," Beck said. "Scared them off."

Tron looked over his shoulder at Ram, the actuary looked up at the same time and both grinned. Tron sighed and turned back to the monitor he was standing in front of, looking over the data he and Ram had been collecting.

"That sort of confidence isn't going to win this war," Tron said. "And it's definitely not in Clu's programming to be scared off by a couple of rogue programs."

"So what do we do?" Beck questioned, folding his arms across his chest.

"We wait," Tron answered after a moment. "We give it another cycle and see if they act. Keep your eyes and ears peeled though, see if you can pick anything up from the streets. We can't let our guard down."

Beck nodded in agreement as Tron shuffled his data into folder, shutting the monitor off.

"So, does that mean we have the rest of the day off?" Ram smiled.

Tron shook his head but Beck was sure he saw a quick smile. So Tron had a fun side after all.

"How does a few rounds of disc wars sound?" Tron suggested. "You must be out of practise."

"Those, Mr. Security Program, are fighting words," Ram said, pointing a finger at Tron as he stood up with a grin. "Let's hope your circuits aren't getting dusty, Tron!"

Ram leapt down the stairs a couple at a time, landing rather gracefully after skipping the last five in one, brave leap. Tron let out a small chuckle that in turn made Beck smile and the two walked down the steps, watching Ram skillfully throw his disc through the air.

"Coming?"

"Go on ahead, I'll be there in a nano" Tron waved.

Ram gave a wave of acknowledgment and danced down towards and through the door, spinning his disc through the air as he left. Beck grinned after the playful program then looked back at Tron, who had one hand against the wall with his shoulder sagged.

"Tron?" Beck approached his mentor cautiously.

"I'm fine," Tron said quickly, raising a hand. "I just… need to …."

Tron waved a weak arm at the healing chamber. Beck jogged over to his mentor and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, helping him towards the chamber. He glanced back at the door; Ram was nowhere in sight.

"You haven't told him?" Beck asked in a whisper.

For a moment, Tron just grunted and Beck wondered if his question was out of place; Tron had never been one to share his thoughts, but Tron answered in a tired voice.

"There's nothing he can do," Tron said then sighed. "It's in Ram's programming to worry about others, this would only be unnecessary stress on his system."

"But… wouldn't you want to know if…"

"There's _nothing_ he can do, Beck," Tron raised his voice and pressed a hand to the seal of the healing chamber. The door opened with a hiss. "Go distract him for a while, would you?"

Beck frowned as Tron ducked out from under his arm and stepped into the glowing light of the healing chamber. He didn't appreciate being brushed off, or having his opinions completely ignored either; maybe Tron hadn't changed that much after all.

After the stories that Tron had told him, Beck supposed it was a miscalculation to expect an easy game from Ram. The actuary's coding was somewhat outdated and his core directives had nothing to do with fighting or the use of an identity disc as a weapon but _Users will_ he knew how to use it.

For such an outdated program, Ram moved like the system was written to accommodate him. Every single swing of his arm, every twist of his torso was calculated, he was able to turn every attack sent at Beck into a defensive block just when the younger program thought he had found an opening. Beck had lost his fourth match by the time Tron joined them.

"You spend too much time analyzing, Beck," Ram chuckled, offering his opponent a hand up. "Sometimes you just have to go with your core instincts."

"You mean all that was instinct?" Beck said, half in awe, half in shock.

"Most of it," Ram shrugged. "It's how I survived the games."

"Instinct, luck, and an undying belief in the Users," Tron added from the entrance to the small chamber made for practise disc battles.

Ram beamed over at Tron who was eyeing him with a gleam of pride in his eyes.

"You're heating up my circuits, Tron," Ram chuckled.

With a shake of his head, Tron touched the small pad at the doorway and the arena lit up, the mocking red from Beck's loss turning back into a neutral white.

"_Arena reset. Combatants please enter the ring._" A cool voice echoed.

"So," Tron started, drawing his disc. "How about a match, for old times?"

Beck glanced at his mentor in a moment of concern. Tron caught the glance and returned with a short nod, "You might want to step out, Beck."

Not waiting to be told twice, Beck quickly ran out of the arena and the door rezzed shut behind him. He placed both hands on the force field as Tron and Ram took battle stances, shoulder guards and helmets rezzing on them.

A jolt of excitement surged through Beck as the match started, a horn blared and the two warriors were off. Ram was first to attack, throwing his disc directly at his opponent. Tron deflected it without blinking and tossed his own disc at Ram, flipping forward and catching Ram's disc on its return then launching that back at its owner.

"Woah!" Ram exclaimed after dodging the first attack and seeing the second one. He hit the ground as quickly as possible and rolled to the side as Tron came flying in from above him.

Ram scrambled backwards and reached up to catch his disc on its delayed return. He and Tron swung their discs at each other, switching to close range combat. Being offline, the discs did not spark when they made contact but Beck could almost feel the ripple of force when they collided. Ram's movements were graceful, he moved faster than Tron but the security monitor had no problem staying on the defense. Tron swung his disc again and Ram blocked, Ram rolled and tossed his disc and Tron deflected.

The match went on as both fighters pulled all their best functions. Having faced Tron before and now also Ram, Beck wasn't sure what to be more impressed by; Tron lasting so long against Ram who would have floored Beck at least twice by now or Ram, the actuary that was actually able to keep Tron, the hero of the Grid, on the defensive.

Another throw of Ram's disc saw Tron falling backwards to avoid it, landing roughly on his shoulder. Tron winced and Ram took this moment to launch forward and strike. Tron rolled over to avoid Ram's attack and was on his feet before the actuary could turn around.

All of a sudden, the match was over and Tron had Ram pinned to the ground, a knee in his back and disc at his throat.

"Looks like I win," Tron panted.

"Yeah, yeah, you win," Ram flailed as he flapped his arms helplessly.

Tron grinned and shifted himself off the smaller program, offering him a hand to help him up. Both grunted sorely and stumbled before finding their balance. The door to the small arena opened and Beck stepped in, admiring the two laughing programs in the centre of the ring. Tron docked his disc and swayed as Ram threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Champion of the Game Grid," Ram beamed, pointing at Tron's chest. "He's still got it!"

"Ram," Tron chuckled, swatting Ram's hand away. "He knows who I am."

"What'd you think, Beck?" Ram rolled his eyes at Tron playfully and turning his smile to Beck.

"Wow, that was…." Beck looked between the two other programs with wide eyes. "Wow."

Ram's grin widened and he hopped over to pat Beck's shoulder. "You weren't bad yourself, kid. With a little more practise, you might just be able to save a system!"

"Alright Ram, let's not get carried away, one micro at a time, okay?" Tron smiled.

"Yessir," Ram did a mock salute and bounced away, giving a yelp of excitement. "Oh User I haven't felt this charged in cycles, Tron! That was amazing!"

Tron had made his way over to the exit was and now leaning casually against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Beck walked over, noting the look of silent adoration Tron was watching Ram with, and took a spot next to his mentor.

"You okay?" Beck said softly, ensuring Ram was out of ear shot.

"Fine," Tron responded blankly.

"You took a bit of a tumble," Beck said, eyeing Tron's shoulder and looking away quickly when Tron caught his eye.

"I'm fine," Tron said more firmly this time, but his hand instinctively grabbed his shoulder, which was trembling slightly.

Beck wanted to retort but knew it was a pointless action. He leaned a little closer to Tron as Ram pretended to hurl his disc towards the ceiling.

"I'll keep an eye on him if you want to go shut down for a little while."

Tron eyed Beck almost suspiciously and Beck fought the urge to roll his eyes. After a moment of calculation, Tron nodded and glanced over at the actuary again before quietly leaving the arena.

It wasn't for another couple of nano cycles that Ram noticed Tron's disappearance, Beck quickly made an excuse. He felt something in his system lock up at the sight of Ram's sad, wide eyes. Without the option to show Ram around Argon, Beck led the actuary back through the hideout and onto a balcony that looked over the outlands. Ram bounced over to the edge and let out a sound of awe.

Out in the edge of the outlands, where it was so quiet, Beck was particularly conscious of the sound of his footsteps as he approached the edge. He couldn't help but watch the actuary curiously, even as he reached the edge and leaned against the rail.

"You look like you have a lot of queries, program," Ram mused aloud as his fingers twiddled with his disc.

Beck turned away quickly, circuits pulsing magenta in embarrassment of being caught. Ram smirked and docked his disc, turning his back to the rail and crossing his arms over his chest. Beck continued not to speak and Ram raised an eyebrow, bringing up a corner of his lip as well.

"It's nothing, I just…" Beck mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's okay to be curious," Ram said, tilting his head to one side. "Ask me anything you want. Any friend of Tron's is a friend of mine."

There was another moment's silence as Beck shifted on the spot.

There were a hundred queries Beck had queued for Ram, but a majority of them didn't seem appropriate. Tron had changed a lot since Ram's arrival and the curiousity of what Tron was like before the Grid had not stopped tugging at Beck's processor. Tron had to have been a young program once too, like Beck, did he have friends he hung out with like Beck did with Zed and Mara? What did Tron ever do for fun? Did Tron know how to have fun?

"What was Tron like, back then?"

Ram laughed loudly and for a nano Beck wished he could take the question back, but then Ram's smile turned soft and nostalgic.

"He was pretty much the same," Ram started slowly. "Worked too hard, never got enough rest, way too serious… and the best friend a program could ever ask for. He hasn't changed that much, has he?"

There was a chuckle at the end of the question, but Beck didn't miss the look Ram gave him; the silent plea in his eyes that the Tron the actuary had known all those cycles ago was still there, that the cycles under Clu's torment hadn't broken Tron.

"That sounds about right," Beck said carefully. "He's a tough teacher."

Ram laughed again. "Tell me about it, you know the first conversations I ever had with him were just him criticizing my technique?"

"Yeah?" Beck raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Your grip's too loose," Ram said, clearing his throat and dropping his tone down to imitate Tron's. "You'll never hit your target like that."

"Concentrate Beck," Beck growled. "You have to _concentrate_!"

The two burst into hysterical laughter, circuits pulsing sporadically. It took a couple of moments before they were able to compose themselves, both glancing fondly at each other.

"Tron was lucky to have you for a friend," Beck said.

"We were cellmates, he didn't have much of a choice with me," Ram chuckled.

"Well, I haven't seen Tron this relaxed since… ever," Beck said. "I don't pretend to know what he's been through, but I assume it's more than I could ever calculate on my own. Ever since you arrived, he's changed, he's actually been smiling."

Ram had turned away, his circuits pulsing a soft pink every now and then.

"I think you're just what he's needed."

"Wow, there's more of Tron's programming in you than I thought," Ram smirked. "He's done a good job with you, if you're not careful, you might actually save a system."

Beck grinned. He tried not to let the sudden well of pride too obvious, though after facing Ram in a disc battle, the compliment really felt like a load off his shoulders- every other cycle, he still had doubts that this whole Renegade thing wasn't going to blow up in his face.

"Thanks, not everyone seems to think that, so…" Beck trailed off.

"I mean it Beck," Ram skipped over throwing an arm around Beck's shoulders. "You should have seen the Grid back in my day; glowing towers, bustling highways and none of this curfew business. I'm telling you, the revolution is going to bring that all back."

"That sounds pretty good," Beck said in slight awe, glancing out to the city.

"Hey!"

Both programs turned around in surprise as Tron appeared at the door.

"I think I've got something," He said quickly. "A high level of energy gathering on the outskirts of the city, similar to the energy readings of the first facility."

"The location of their new base?" Beck chimed, making his way over to Tron.

"Maybe, I can't be sure. But it's worth checking out."

"So what are we waiting for?" Ram bounced over.

Tron and Beck turned to the smaller program with uncertain looks, Beck looked back at Tron curiously as Tron mulled over the matter.

"You can't tell me you're leaving me here," Ram said, mocking offense.

"Ram-" Tron started.

"Nah-uh, Tron! I didn't come all this way to have you leave me behind! We were a great team back in the Games and I know I can help!"

Beck had to look away as Ram seemed to pull the big, innocent eyes out again; it was an awfully manipulative line of code for a program as helpful and selfless as Ram. There was a soft growl coming from Tron as he continued to contemplate the situation.

"Beck," Tron nodded at the door as he stepped onto the balcony and the young program quickly dashed back inside and far away from the conversation.

"You're not serious," Ram groaned, watching Beck disappear. "Tron—"

"This is different, Ram," Tron interrupted. "It's not like the Games, it's not like when we fought the MCP. The system has changed and you're not ready for what Tesler could be throwing at us!"

"Well I wasn't _ready _for the Games, I wasn't _ready _for Flynn to bust us out of the light cycle grid!" Ram said, louder than he needd to have. "I wasn't _ready _to be derezz—"

"Neither was I!"

The outburst shocked both programs and they stared each other wordlessly for what felt like cycles. Tron turned away and groaned as Ram watched the monitor in confusion.

Danger warnings were drumming against his head and Tron tried to shake them off. This happened every time he found a strong lead; his security programming kicked in and he calculated.

Has the threat been identified? _Yes. _Is the threat of high security danger? _Yes. _Can the threat be stopped using available resources? _Initiate analysis of current resources._

For so long it had just been him. Flynn left him in control of the Grid's security and while he had teams to work with, calculating resources was how many monitors was it going to take out that section of grid bugs? Were the two on duty doing their job or goofing off at the End of Line Club?

When Beck came into the equation, Tron had trained him and gathered as much data on the young program as possible. Now, whenever a threat came up, it was a matter of deciding whether or not Beck could handle it.

Ram was different though.

Ram was an ever-changing variable; his very sudden appearance in Tron's life was still causing subroutine calculations (_how how how_)to run wild, even after Ram's explanations. His fighting abilities weren't part of the data Tron has asked Flynn to keep when integrating him into this system- the memories of Ram had been something that plagued Tron for cycles after the MCPs defeat and while he did not want to forget all about his friend, he had to learn to let go.

High-risk percentages flashed before Tron as he tried to predict what Tesler and Clu were planning. He turned around to see Ram studying him with wide, unknowing eyes. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.

Tron had calculated the risks of this mission but the only data he had on Ram right now was that he had been derezzed once and putting him in harm's way meant it could happen again.

"Ram…" Tron started, his voice hitching. "Coming to terms with your deresolution was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do and I am _not_ doing it again."

Ram felt a cluster of mixed responses gathering in his throat as Tron spoke, he bit his lip nervously before approaching his friend. The security monitor glanced at him then quickly looked away, Ram cleared his throat, the cluster dispersing.

"It's going to be different this time, Tron; this time we actually are ready. We're not fresh conscripts on the run anymore, we're fighters and we can go in with a plan!"

Ram clapped his hands on Tron's arms, giving him a confident grin. Tron met the actuary's eyes and let out a chuckle, which Ram returned with an even broader smile. There had always been something about Ram; he practically emitted packets of positive behaviour if Tron stood near him for too long.

The space between them closed and before Tron realized, Ram had his hand on the back of the monitor's head and with a soft thud, their foreheads met. Tron felt the spark as their processors synced and he twitched.

Ram gazed up in concern; the hand he had on Tron's head loose and ready to let go but Tron didn't pull away. He allowed the contact and let out a shaky breath, calming himself as he felt more and more of Ram's code draw closer.

Ever since he had been written, Yori had been the only program Tron allowed such intimacy with. His intimacy with Yori was different of course; Tron and Yori were what Flynn had often called a 'pair of lovebirds', though Tron did not understand the reference, while Flynn had described his own relationship with Tron as friends, partners in crime or sometimes just 'man!' ("_You're my man, Tron!" "I'm what?")_

Tron concluded that he and Ram were also friends, partners in crime or whatever mans were. He had allowed Flynn to see his code, to alter his code and adapt it to this system, so why wouldn't he let Ram?

"_Permission to access Tron JA-307020,_" Ram pinged through the contact.

"_Permission granted_."

Ram smiled and the two programs closed their eyes. Tron could feel Ram opening up his code to him, granting him access to data no other program but the owner should see. Tron stood perfectly still, eyes closed as the waves of data washed over him.

Ram's data was messy, incomplete and unorganized, as though it had been pulled apart and put back together. Tron flinched and Ram stiffened.

"_Sorry about the mess,_" he pinged.

Tron didn't make any attempt to reply but pushed his own lines of code forward. Flynn and Alan-One were both amazing Users and they had written Tron's code with the utmost care. His lines glowed blue and were aligned perfectly. He found the lines that wrote his memories with Ram from back in the MCP's pitcells and brought them to the surface. The memory of finding Flynn on the solar sailor surfaced before Tron could stop it, the code directly followed the previous lines and both Tron and Ram felt the weight of Tron's pain take over them at the same time.

The two flinched and Ram quickly pulled them closer together, pressing his forehead hard against Tron's.

"_I'm here." _He pinged desperately, sending a wave of comfort through.

The painful sensation began to fade under Ram's comfort and Tron relaxed. Tron hadn't realized his hands had grasped Ram's arms or how tightly he was gripping them. He felt Ram's code running underneath his armour, proof of Ram's existence pulsing under Tron's fingers.

"I won't let you die again," Tron murmured aloud. "Not again, Ram."

"I won't, Tron," Ram replied softly.

Ram's code started to fade away and Tron bit back a protest but concentrated on his own code settling back into place. Ram pulled away and their contact broke with a small spark of electric energy, he stepped back and bumped Tron's chest with his fist with a grin.

"Better?"

"Better, thank you Ram. I think that's just what I needed right now."

"Don't mention it," Ram smiled, his circuits pulsing a soft pink for a nano. "I know you're worried Tron, I just want you to know that I'm here and I'm ready for whatever's out there. I'm not going anywhere without a fight."

"I know," Tron mumbled, hesitation rising slowly in his chest again.

"Hey, none of that, you said you were better, remember?"

"Yeah, right," Tron's lip twitched into a smirk.

"Good, so can I come?"

Tron chuckled and returned Ram's earlier gesture, hitting the actuary in the shoulder. He sighed and processed the new data he had received- shifting through the artifacts of Ram's code left in his own processor, Tron found there wasn't as much data as he would have expected, but Ram was standing in front of him. Even though his hands were back at his side, Tron could still feel Ram's pulsing code against his fingers.

"So long as you're careful, program. Acknowledge?"

Ram broke into a grin and jumped up on the spot.

"Acknowledged!"


End file.
